


Wash Day

by PuddleJ



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:52:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuddleJ/pseuds/PuddleJ
Summary: One-shot inspired by a prompt list from Tumblr - 'Non-Sexual Acts of Intimacy'. Playing in my Life Support 'verse again.





	Wash Day

A clatter echoed from the bathroom, followed by a growled curse. Carson kept his attention on his journal.

Another series of clatters and curses bounced around the room. Carson risked a glance at the door. “You all right in there, love?” he called, waiting for a stream of vicious invective to come his way.

There was a pause. “No,” a grumpy voice admitted.

Carson closed his journal, and got to his feet, crossing to the bathroom.

Tamsin stood at the basin, scowling at the pile of things knocked off the shelf above it and scratching under the edge of the plaster cast covering her left wrist. “Can’t even get the lid off the shampoo,” she muttered.

“Do you want some help?” he offered tentatively.

“Please.”

They tidied the toiletries away, leaving just the shampoo behind the tap. Carson ran warm water into the sink. He regarded Tamsin, considering their plan of action.

“How are going to do this? he asked.

“I guess I’ll lean over and you do the messy bit?”

“All right.” He nodded and moved in to offer her a hand.

She attempted to kneel awkwardly, her balance somewhat compromised by the plaster cast and sling. As she knelt, she wobbled, knocking her injured shoulder against the basin with a stifled cry of pain.

“Oww. Okay maybe not,” she said, looking up at him from her less than elegant position on the floor.

He had a flash of inspiration and dashed out of the bathroom. Moments later he returned, wheeling an office chair from the living area. Her smile told him she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. Carefully, they managed to get her seated, avoiding her shoulder this time.

“Ready when you are,” she said at last, leaning over the basin.

He approached cautiously - he’d never needed to do this for anyone before now. He gently poured water over her head, wetting the hair, then rubbing the shampoo into her scalp. She flinched as he rubbed too hard over the lump near her temple.

“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, making a mental note to avoid that area for now. He felt her relax and continued on, working the shampoo, then rinsing off, finding the task strangely enjoyable. He helped her wrap a towel around her head and was about to start rubbing it dry, until she said “I can do this.” Standing up, she gave him a small smile and left the bathroom.

Carson followed her after a few moments. She was stood at the window, seemingly lost in thought, her hair hanging in damp strands, as if she’d forgotten what she was doing. He’d seen her with just-washed hair many times, but she looked unusually vulnerable this time, and he was suddenly reminded of the accident that lead to her injuries.

They’d been out-running a storm in separate puddlejumpers after a relief mission. Lightning had hit both craft, but Tamsin’s jumper had suffered power failure. He’d only been able to watch as the craft plummeted into a hillside, crashing and ploughing to a stop on its side. He’d all but thrown himself out of the second jumper as soon as Lorne had brought it to a bumpy landing nearby, convinced that nobody could have survived that.

They’d had to go in through the shattered windshield, and he’d nearly been sick with relief at finding everyone at least alive. Tam had been right at the back, clutching her left arm, bleeding from a head laceration and concussed, but still trying (badly) to triage the others. He’d snapped at her to keep back, that she was just getting in the way in her state.

“I realise I never apologised…” he began.

“For what?” she asked, confused.

He immediately started to worry her concussion was worse than previously diagnosed. He tried to keep his thoughts to himself as he replied. “For snapping at you…after the crash.”

“No need – I was no good to anyone like that.”

She paused for a moment. “I was scared, Carson,” she admitted softly, finally meeting his gaze.

It hit him like a kick in the chest – his brave, beautiful, headstrong Tamsin never admitted to being afraid of anything. She’d been lucky to get away with concussion, a fractured clavicle and radius, and cuts and bruises. It could have been so much worse.

“I was too, love.” He swallowed around the lump in his throat.

“Thanks for this,” she said, holding the look.

“It’s the least I can do.”

She turned and slipped her free arm around his waist, settling against him. His own arm slipped naturally around her shoulders, but still wary of her injuries.

“I’ll try not to get in any more jumper crashes in future,” she said, with a little smirk.

“You do that,” he replied, leaning down to carefully kiss her on the forehead.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a list of prompts that I found on Tumblr, entitled 'non-sexual acts of intimacy'. This one was - 'One character having their hair washed by the other'.


End file.
